By and For

9.22.2011

This past Labor Day we discovered that the West Indian-American Parade and Carnival goes right in front of our house. Despite the bad rap it gets due to the seemingly unavoidable outbursts of violence, and in that way not being unique to many crowded events all over the city on a holiday weekend, it definitely provided us with a unique people watching opportunity and chance to enjoy the spirit of our neighborhood. I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked.....I've had to trade in some of my camera cradling for baby cradling....but I did manage to get this picture of two little girls who stopped to get a better view of the festivities from the neighbor's stoop. Nothing like a baby to make you realize that sometimes one picture is enough....

9.19.2011

Beautiful pictures of mamas and their babies.....love love love. This is what I would like to do all day for the rest of my life....take beautiful pictures of mamas and their babies. For now I spend all day staring at my beautiful baby....when the staring gets old I'll take more pictures.
All pictures courtesy of The Glow.

9.16.2011

When you're pregnant you look at life in terms of weeks and then months and then you begin counting down the days. In labor you look at the hours which then become minutes. As soon as your baby is born you look at every single second. Then you start to look at the hours and then the days and then the weeks and then the months. Eventually you look at the years. Through all of this you realize that time goes by very quickly and at some point you just have to stop looking at all the minutes, months and years of time gone by and all the minutes, months and years yet to come and stop to look at now. Now, I'm a mama and as I cherish every second of being in love with my amazing daughter and having the one thing in the world I wanted the most I realize there are no more excuses to let time go by not doing what I want to do the most.....so as I welcome baby Eliza into my life I also welcome my commitment to my creative practice back into my life. This blog is a visual reminder of all the ideas, people, images and projects that inspire me and feed that practice. It's so good to be back.

6.06.2009

As is obvious from the lack of recent posts I've been in a bit of a creative slump....arghhh....nothing like a very relaxing four days in Mexico to jolt me out of my melancholy mood and remind me what life's really all about.....

not caring that you woke up an hour too early because you forgot to change the time....a mistake unrealized because you'd stopped checking the time.....

pulling out your best beach tricks...I'm a fan of sand angels and underwater handstands....

loving your new summer dress even though it accentuates your well-nurtured "food baby" grown over the winter.....it's a ten pounder!.....

watching how the ocean turns everyone into a kid again.....

letting the water rush over your feet and not bothering to rinse the sand from between your toes.....

going fishing.....more fun when done the hard way.....

backfloating.....
remembering what it was like to learn how to backfloat.....scary and exhilirating.....
teaching someone else how to backfloat.....unforgettable.....

making time for siestas.....especially in a hammock forest......

taking time to be alone.....

even when you're not alone.....

remembering that the miraculous is never too far away.....sometimes you just have to get out of dodge to find it.....

while never taking for granted the magic and inspiration that surrounds you every day....

4.25.2009

my sister is so ridiculously creative it makes me swoon....she is a scrapbooking genius who can turn any photo, scrap of paper, color of paint, and random odd, end or idea into a beautifully creative testament of life's most unforgettable moments....and who despite being nine months pregnant and juggling two toddler boys still managed to find the time to make me the most amazing birthday present ever!!!....a book about why she loves me so much....31 reasons for 31 years....a book that every time I open brings tears, giggles, memories, inspiration and wonderment at how she can make everyone around her feel so loved and adored (her boys are so lucky....you should see the baby books, memoirs and tales she has immortalized for them!)
So right back at you sister.....I love you so much!!!!.... and it's a good thing you're older because it gives me two extra (well one and a half) reasons to love YOU!....but you'd better live to be at least a 100 because my list is already at least a 100 reasons long.....and growing......

look at her other amazing memory pages at http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/userprofile.asp?user_id=353218

3.20.2009

It's amazing that while I spend most of my time on 23rd Street in Chelsea I still manage to miss exhibitions....sometimes even by my favorite artists....so today I started my new springtime ritual and took a stroll around the block to see a few shows.....

2.07.2009

it's cold outside and i've caught a cold....has nothing to do with me running around in nearly nothing on a 12 degree day in Ithaca....that was weeks ago and more than worth it....but today I'll remember it through steamy car windows

you'd think the beef's in Argentina where grilling meat is a national past time and vegetarians are outlawed....when I first spotted the literal meat wagon delivering slabs of beef I was sans camera (yes, me!) and spent the next several days chasing the elusive golden chariots for a photo...on my very last morning in Buenos Aires, I was sitting in a cafe cursing my missed photo opportunity when the metal rumblings of a truck gate lifting brought me to attention....I ran outside and as if sent by the photo gods themselves this is what I found.....

About Me

I'm a photographer who has recently swapped my art gallery day job of nearly 5 years for motherhood and a go at my own artistic endeavors. This blog is where I can reflect on all the challenges involved in being an artist, mother, and even more challenging yet, an artist and a mother. It's where I can look at my inspirations and influences, fears and accomplishments, projects and photos and remind myself to live a creative and inspired life. If nothing else, it gives me an opportunity to talk about my two biggest obsessions....babies and photography.